New Shelby GT350 Mustang is a track-ready beast with 500+ hp at its disposal

After months of anticipation, numerous spy shots and endless rumors, the wait is finally over. This is the new Shelby GT350 Mustang, the most extreme iteration yet of the sixth generation model. Going by the spec sheet and details that have been revealed, the Shelby GT350 Mustang is one heck of a beast. For starters, under the hood sits nothing less than the most powerful naturally aspirated motor ever fitted to a production Ford. The 5.2-liter V8 engine that powers the car uses a flat-plane crankshaft, a first for a production V8 from Ford, and churns out more than 500hp and 400 pound-feet of torque. Ford further says the engine will be a “high-revving” one with better cylinder breathing and an even better noise. V8. A six-speed manual gearbox and Torsen limited-slip differential will be standard, while an engine oil cooler and transmission cooler will be available as part of a Track Pack.
Ford’s yet to release performance figures, but there is no doubt that the GT350 is surely to significantly undermine the 4.4-second 0-62mph run of the latest 435bhp Mustang GT V8. Ford has stiffened the GT350’s chassis even more than the standard Mustang GT, which is already the stiffest in the company’s history. There are plenty of other performance upgrades too. The stopping power is provided by what Ford calls the ‘most track-credible brake system ever’, with 394mm rotors and Brembo six-piston calipers up front, and 380mm rotors with four-piston calipers at the rear. The Shelby is also the first Ford to get continuously controlled magnetorheological adaptive damping – or ‘MagneRide’. Aluminum wheels – 19-inches in diameter and measuring 10.5 inches wide in front and 11.0 inches at the rear – will be shod in a custom set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. “We wanted to build the best possible Mustang for the places we most love to drive,” says Ford’s Raj Nair. “Challenging back roads with a variety of corners and elevation changes… and the track on weekends.”